BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — For over two decades, the victim of a brutal rape and murder who was left for dead in Broward County in 1998 was simply known as Jane Doe.
Her identity would remain a mystery until earlier this year when detectives and DNA analysis identified Jane Doe as Eileen Truppner. She was left in a grassy area off of U.S. 27, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
Now, nearly 25 years later, Eileen Truppner is getting the justice she finally deserves, as the sheriff’s office cold case detectives arrested her killer.
According to BSO, the alleged killer is Lucious Boyd, a convicted murderer, rapist and suspected serial killer. He is currently on death row for the murder of 21-year-old Dawnia Dacosta, who was murdered about two weeks before Truppner.
Officials got the breakthrough they needed after contacting the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to request the assistance of their genetic genealogy unit. With forensic genetic genealogy, law enforcement can combine DNA analysis with traditional genealogy research to create leads for unsolved crimes.
BSO said the DNA results led to their first major breakthrough in the case – Truppner’s identity.
According to the sheriff’s office, advancements in DNA testing led detectives to connect Truppner’s DNA to Boyd’s, which had been collected as evidence in Dacosta’s homicide.
“Lucious Boyd’s indictment for Eileen’s homicide is possible due to the collaborative efforts of BSO cold case detectives, crime lab analysts and crime scene investigators,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “Now, Eileen’s family can put an end to decades of living with uncertainty while detectives continue their mission with one thing in mind – justice has no expiration date.”
A Broward County grand jury indicted Boyd for Truppner’s murder on Nov. 29, 2023. He’s now facing additional first-degree murder and sexual battery charges.